PITTSFIELD, Mass., and BELLINGHAM, Wash., Nov. 16, 2012 — Sensors for monitoring environmental toxins and detecting explosives, powerful new lasers for manufacturing, and tools for noninvasive imaging deep inside the brain are among finalists in nine categories for the 2013 Prism Awards for Photonics Innovation, a competition recognizing new products and inventions that break with conventional ideas, solve problems and improve life through the generation and application of the essential technologies of optics and photonics. The awards are sponsored by Photonics Media and SPIE.

Winners will be announced by industry leaders on Feb. 6 during SPIE Photonics West in San Francisco; presenters are being confirmed. Past presenters include industry leaders Michael Mertin, Jenoptik; Robert Edmund, Edmund Optics; Mary Lou Jepsen, Pixel Qi; and Milton Chang, Incubic.

Since 2008, the annual Prism Awards have recognized photonic products that break with conventional ideas, solve problems and improve life through the generation and harnessing of light.

"Each year, the quality of entries is higher and the competition keener," said SPIE CEO Eugene Arthurs. "The awards celebrate the wide reach of photonics as an enabling technology and the innovation power of our community. Photonics inventions help create valuable new jobs in communications, health care, security, manufacturing and entertainment. The National Research Council's report 'Optics and Photonics, Essential Technologies for Our Nation' notes that, in the US, public companies focused on optics and photonics create more than $3 trillion of all public company revenues and 7.4 million of public company jobs."

"The immense pride these companies have in their innovations and the pride they take in being named finalists in the Prism Awards is well-earned," said Laurin Publishing CEO Thomas F. Laurin. "Just as they are building on the inventions and innovations of the industry giants who came before them, they are all helping to build a strong industry for the future. And the Prism Awards are growing right along with them, becoming a highly sought after recognition."

Many of the finalists will exhibit in the Photonics West exhibition (Feb. 5-7) and BiOS Expo (Feb. 2-3); see asterisks in the alphabetized list below. Visit www.photonicsprismaward.com for complete details.

Defense and Security

OEwaves*: Micro-Opto-Electronic Oscillator (µOEO), an information system on unmanned aerial vehicles and other platforms

Winners of the 2012 Prism Awards for photonics innovation pose with presenters after the gala awards banquet in January 2012 at the Hilton San Francisco Union Square during SPIE Photonics West.
Photonics Media, a global photonics publishing powerhouse, is the media brand of Laurin Publishing. It is responsible for publishing Photonics Spectra, BioPhotonics and EuroPhotonics magazines, Photonics.com as well as the Photonics Buyers' Guide — the most trusted and well-respected reference guide in the industry. For more information, visit www.photonics.com/prismawards

SPIE is the international society for optics and photonics, a not-for-profit organization founded in 1955 to advance light-based technologies. The society serves nearly 225,000 constituents from approximately 150 countries, offering conferences, continuing education, books, journals and a digital library in support of interdisciplinary information exchange, professional growth and patent precedent. SPIE provided more than $2.7 million in support of education and outreach programs in 2011. For more information, visit: http://spie.org